Archive for: roland garros
Oh the life of a professional tennis player must be fun. Novak Djokovic has to be a player who is enjoying his time as a professional tennis player the most. Djokovic always seems to be making jokes and doing funny ads and more. I would love to hang out with him on tour and just cause mayhem.
During Roland Garros Djokovic appeared at Ana Ivanovic’s press conference and pretended to be a journalist. At teh end of the new conference a “journalist” raised his hand and asked “Tell us something about your love or private life”.
Everybody then turned around to see Novak Djokovic asking the question. Novak was in the room because he had the press conference straight after Ana. Ana obviously didnt respond to the question but simply game him a hand shake on her way out.
“Well everybody asked only professional questions,why didn’t someone asked her something personal” – Nole continued joking when when he sat down ready to answer questions for his press conference.
Svetlana Kuznetsova’s 6-4 6-2 drubbing of a tight Dinara Safina in the French Open final served as a particularly unfitting conclusion to what was one of the most enjoyable majors in recent years. Coming back from a relatively bland 2008 edition, where the story of choice was who wasn’t playing, the 2009 event was at times inspiring, at many times absurd, and always compelling. The drama began almost immediately as both Venus and Serena Williams, usually on cruise control through the first few rounds, were taken to three sets by Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Klara Zakopalova, respectively. Even when we think they’ve drawn a tough first round opponent, they will often get through dropping less than five games. That was when the alarm bells started to go off: this one would be different.
And so it was, as seed after seed began to fall. This is always a tough situation for women’s tennis because, if the seeds all get through, then it is criticized for not having enough depth, but if the seeds lose, then it is criticized for not having enough dominance at the top. This time, when the seeds lost, it was because the opponent played exceptionally well. Victoria Azarenka completely outplayed Ana Ivanovic to eliminate her in the fourth round, and Agnes Szavay played tennis she hasn’t shown since 2007 to defeat Venus Williams easily. Sorana Cirstea finally showed what the tennis world knew she possessed as she outlasted Jelena Jankovic in an epic 9-7 in the third, and Sam Stosur served like a top-10 player to eliminate Dementieva. All of this was in direct contrast to this year’s Australian Open, where Ivanovic collapsed against Kleybanova and Jankovic barely showed up against Bartoli. This time, the underdog had to win it. Basically, the only seed who wasn’t challenged early on was Dinara Safina, who took advantage of a light draw to sprint into the second week.
Ultimately, the two biggest news items of the first week had little to do with anyone’s play. The first story was Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, who was hit with a ball by Serena Williams, but refused to acknowledge it to the chair umpire. Martinez Sanchez should have lost the point, but she won it, which sparked a press conference war of words with Williams accusing and Martinez Sanchez denying. Williams went on to win that match, so there was at least some sense of justice. When people went discussing whether Martinez Sanchez cheated, they were all aflutter about the screeching grunt of Michelle Larcher de Brito. Larcher de Brito has been touted for years as the next big thing, and she had a mini-breakthough here, making the third round in her first major main draw. More than her promising play, she is known for her grunt, which is by far the loudest on tour. Her third round opponent Aravane Rezai had quite a problem with it, complaining to the chair and again in the press conference. Once again the voyeuristic press was more than happy to latch on to this relative non-story. The furor will likely cause the tour to once again revisit the question of how loud is too loud.
Back in the tennis, the Quarterfinal lineup was a delightful mix of the expected (Safina, S. Williams) and the completely surprising (Stosur, Cirstea, Cibulkova). Joining those women was Maria Sharapova, which could not have been too surprising as she came into this tournament as a complete question mark. With little match play, no one knew whether she was heading for a first round exit or for the title. The match of the tournament took place in this round as Svetlana Kuznetsova finally put it together when she needed to and eliminated Serena Williams. Kuznetsova went up a set and 5-3, just as she did in Australia against Williams, and just as she has done so many times in her career. And so, it came as a shock to absolutely no one that she blew the 5-3 lead and Williams went on to win the second set. The Svetlana Kuznetsova of October 2004-May 2009 would have collapsed at this point. maybe mustering a couple of games in the third set as she went out with a whimper. This time she fought and ultimately won 7-5 in a thrilling third set. Since winning the 2004 US Open, Kuznetsova hasn’t been that player. She hasn’t been the one who is able to fight off bad games and blown leads. She hasn’t been a champion.
This week, she was. She went on to face a resurgent Sam Stosur in the Semifinals. Sam missed a year of her career, out with viral meningitis and Lyme disease, so to make it to a major Semifinal on her worst surface was an amazing accomplishment. Stosur acquitted herself quite well in this match, coming back from a deficit in the second set to level the match. Kuznetsova had the chance to blow it again, giving up a second set lead and going to the third, but the Williams match changed something. Her body language was better, but more importantly, her shotmaking improved. She wasn’t going for insane crosscourt forehands like she used to. She played patient, composed, and mature points to win the third. In the final, she would meet Dinara Safina, who eliminated Cibulkova in the other Semifinal.
This match was Safina’s to take. She was the pre-tournament favorite, world #1, dominant performer of the clay season, but the pressure was too much. As she watched her opponent crumble and make uncharacteristic errors, Kuznetsova had clearly changed from uncertain challenger to confidant winner, from choker to champion. In a tournament that was full of stimulating three set matches, the routine two-set final seemed to be a bit of a letdown. Everyone wanted there to be another three set epic, but in the spirit of this tournament, where Svetlana Kuznetsova, Sam Stosur, Dominika Cibulkova, Michelle Larcher De Brito, Maria Sharapova, Agnes Szavay, Victoria Azarenka, and Sorana Cirstea taught us to expect the unexpected, maybe it was better this way.
Robin Soderling (23) vs Nikolay Davydenko (10) = This is going to be a great match. Robin Soderling beat four time reigning champion Rafael Nadal in four sets in the previous round and Davydenko defeated Fernando Verdasco in straight sets. I think Robin will be still on a high from his last victory, so it will be interesting to see if he can keep it going. This could be a five set match with Soderling taking the first few sets then Davydenko coming back.
Andy Murray (3) vs Fernando Gonzalez (12) = Andy and Fernando have been in great for in this tournament so far and they both didnt lose a set in their fourth round matches. Murray has had quite an easy draw so far and I think Gonzalez might actually cause a big upset in this match.
Juan Martin Del Potro (5) vs Tommy Robredo (16) = Juan Martin Del Potro has been playing some great tennis and beating good opponents so far in the tournament. However, in this match he will coming up against Tommy Robredo who has a huge amount of experience on the clay courts of Roland Garros. I can see Robredo winning this match in a long five set match.
Gael Monfils (11) vs Roger Federer (2) = This is another exciting match with Roger on the back of coming from two sets to love down to win in five, while Monfils played one of his greatest matches at the French Open defeating Andy Roddick in straight sets. I think this will be Rogers match to lose.
Dinara Safina (1) vs Victoria Azarenka (9) = Azarenka had a great previous match disposing of the defending champion Ana Ivanovic in straight sets. While Safina hasn’t put a foot wrong and has been demolishing her opponents. I think the first set is going to be very tight and Azarenka really needs to win it, cause I cant see her coming back in three sets.
Dominika Cibulkova (20) vs Maria Sharapova = This is going to be a very interesting match, Maria hasnt been in the greatest of form but she has been grinding out wins. Cibulkova has been playing some good tennis, but hasnt really played a major name at this years French Open. I can see Maria winning in another three set match.
Sorana Cirstea vs Samantha Stosur (30) = Cirstea has had a great tournament so far, especially with her win in the last match at 9-7 in the third set over Jelena Jankovic. Stosur has been going through the draw very quietly. Clay is not Stosurs best surface but she has a great kick serve for a female player and I can see her demolishing Cirstea in straight sets.
Svetlana Kuznetsova (7) vs Serena Williams (2) = The girls have a great rivalry and have played some great matches over the years. I think Serena is in great form and the quick clay surface this year is suiting her game and I cant really see Kuznetsova getting into the match from the beginning.
As we mentioned in the French Open preview here on The Tennis Times there is always a big upset at Roland Garros. This year at the French Open was no different with Philipp Kohlschreiber the number 29 seed defeating World No. 4 Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, to reach the fourth round at Roland Garros on Saturday.
“I think I played really one of the best matches ever in a big tournament,” said Kohlschreiber. “In the past I’ve played well in small tournaments, but this one was for sure, every set really on the biggest high level from my side. Maybe Novak didn’t play his best today but from my point of view, I played a good match. I was controlling or dictating many, many points. I did a really good job today.”
Ana Ivanovic is optimistic about defending her French Open title, saying on Thursday that a niggling knee injury had died down.
“Thankfully the pain and inflammation in my knee has gone away so I have been able to practice this week,” the Serbian said. “My timing is pretty good at the moment and I’m optimistic about my chances of success in Paris.”
The world number eight has suffered a sharp loss of form since last year and pulled out of the Madrid Open earlier this month with the recurring injury, which worsened after her country’s Fed Cup win over Spain in April.
The 21-year-old from Belgrade will need a steep improvement in recent form to retain her crown at Roland Garros, which starts on Sunday, after plummeting down the WTA rankings from the number one spot she grabbed after taking last year’s title.
John Isner has pulled out of the French Open starting tomorrow cause of illness. Isner accepted a wildcard into the event by winning a qualifying tournament held by the U.S. Tennis association. The USTA has now returned the wildcard slot to the French tennis federation, which has since handed the wildcard to world number 310 Romain Jouan of France.
Other players to have pulled out of the French Open include Dmitry Tursunov of Russia and Mario Ancic of Croatia. Tursunov has a heel injury and Ancic pulled out because of lack of fitness.
The French Open 2009 will be starting in less than one day at Roland Garros, but who actually stands a chance of winning and who might as well of stayed home!
Raphael Nadal is of course the king of the clay and he will be very hard to beat this year. Rafael lost last week to Roger Federer in Madrid, but now that he has had a few days off to recover I can see him being back on full form.
Roger Federer has a lot more confidence coming into Roland Garros after his win over Nadal in Madrid. Roger has been playing some of the best clay court tennis of his life and he seems very focused. Roger has a few tough matches against clay court specialists in the first few rounds, so if he gets through the first couple rounds then I expect him to be in the final again.
Dinara Safina comes into Roland Garros as the number one player in the world and also the number one seed. Dinara has never won a Grand Slam and this is where she is expected to be at the top. Dinara has Ivanovic in her quarter so it will be interesting to see if Ivanovic can bring to the table a good performance or if she will leave the draw early.
Maria Sharapova is heading to Rome with not a chance of winning the tournament. Maria returned to the tour only last week in Warsaw and lost in the quarterfinals. Im quite surprised that Maria has returned to play the French Open, but then again she has a few points to defend.
Upsets are going to come quick and fast, as they always do at the French Open. Ivo Karlovic (26) is playing Lleyton Hewitt in the first round of the Mens singles and I think that we could see Hewitt beat Karlovic the seeded player in the first round. I can also see Jo-Wilfied Tsonga (9) having a few issues in the first round when he plays fellow Frenchman Julien Benneteau. Additionally it is going to be interesting to see Radek Stepanek (18) play Gaston Gaudio (wildcard) in the first round, Gaston has already won the tournament here so will be interesting to see if he can find some form. Jelena Jankovic (5) could have a tough first round match with Petra Cetkovska. Plus I would be very surprised if Sybille Bammer (28) can get passed Nathalie Dechy in the opening round. Dechy is a local faourite and has always performed very well at Roland Garros.
If you have any thoughts on some upsets or who is going to win the tournament then please let us know in the comments.
Remember the official French Open website is RolandGarros.com
Fabrice Santoro, nicknamed the Magician for his habit of mystifying bigger and stronger opponents, is proudly preparing to open his bag of tricks for his 20th and final French Open show. The Frenchman, who will retire at the end of the year, will extend his record of appearances at grand-slam events to 67 in the May 24-June 7 claycourt tournament.
“Last Roland Garros, last year on the circuit, there is that feeling that a page is being turned and an immense satisfaction to have done 20 of them,” the 36-year-old Santoro told Reuters in an interview.
“I never dreamed I would get that far.” One of the few major players on the men’s circuit to hit both shots double-handed, Santoro has won many admirers over the years for his finesse and sense of strategy. “I keep bumping into people who tell me to carry on but in my head it’s clear, I’m stopping,” he said.
One of the best players I have seen on clay back in the day was Guillermo Canas. Today Guillermo played the French Open qualifying tournament at Roland Garros, but he has been bundled out in the first round by Paolo Lorenzi 6-4 7-6. It is a real shame to see this great player unable to really match it with the big boys any more.
Canas has really struggled in 2009 with only a few top tier tournament wins to his name. However, this loss in the French Open qualies has to be the worst loss for a long time. Im wondering if he will consider retirement after this?
The second major of the year is already upon us as qualifying for the French Open gets underway today. With just a few days to go until main draw play begins this Sunday, all the talk on the men’s side is about Rafael Nadal’s quest for his 5th consecutive French title and whether Federer or Djokovic can catch him. An intriguing story line, certainly, but that is basically the extent of the discussion.
On the Women’s side, there is much more room for conversation. After more than a year of the WTA playing a game of #1 ranking tag, we actually enter Roland Garros with a clear favorite for the title in Dinara Safina. Of course, being the clear favorite, she will certainly lose before the Quarterfinals. Nonetheless, Safina has been the only top player to avoid looking disastrous. Playing her best tennis since last fall, Safina ran away with both the Rome and Madrid titles while the rest of her colleagues looked lost, uninspired, and injured. The question is not whether she has the game, it is whether she can hold it together mentally. If she can, the title is hers.
The other finalists from Rome and Madrid, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Caroline Wozniacki, can hardly make convincing claims as French Open favorites. Kuznetsova did beat Safina in Stuttgart, but she long since vacated the relevant conversation as she proved time and again her inability to close out big matches. Her collapse against Serena in Australia was just another in a long line of almost-wins. As for Wozniacki, she is still unproven. She has never reached the Quarterfinal stage of a major before, so we still don’t know how she handles the important moments. Without a big weapon off the ground, Wozniacki may struggle against a hard hitter who has found her rhythm (See: Safina in Madrid, Lisicki in Charleston, Dokic in Australia, etc.)
And what of the Williams sisters? Serena is injured and frustrated. Winless since March, she has spent her time speaking out against the tour for forcing her to play hurt and the ranking system for not rewarding her accomplishments. She retired against Schiavone in Madrid, and barring a miraculous recovery, Serena looks headed for an early exit. Venus seemed to be in a much better place than her sister, making the Rome Semifinal and having some of her best clay results in years. With a favorable draw she can make the second week, but an early round unforced error parade against Kleybanova in Madrid exposed why she might struggle to advance further.
Earlier in the year, it looked as though the Serbian train had lost a little steam. Now, it has fallen off the tracks, arrived at the wrong station, and caught on fire. Jankovic hit rock bottom during the Spring hardcourt season, but a title in Marbella seemed to indicate that she may have found her form, but it was not to be. Recent lackluster losses to Schnyder and Kuznetsova proved that she is still nowhere near her best and would do well just to make her seeding. When the French Open ends, it will mark one year since Ana Ivanovic fell to pieces. She’s had flashes of strong play since (Linz 08, Indian Wells 09) but nothing consistent or confidence inspiring. And the worst part? She pulled out of Madrid with injury. This defending champion will be hard pressed to make it even close the winners circle once again.
As for the rest of the top 10, Zvonareva is still injured and unlikely to play. Victoria Azarenka was the talk of tennis just weeks ago, but she has failed to make a deep run on clay. She can still upset a few people, but her bandwagon likely won’t get up to speed again until the US hardcourt season. This leaves Elena Dementieva. Just a few months ago, she was in Safina’s position, the favorite with momentum who is a solid bet to win her first major. It didn’t happen for Dementieva, and ever since she has been solid but unconvincing. In Australia, all of the pressure was on her, and she couldn’t handle Serena in the Semifinals. Now, no one is talking about her. Maybe that is exactly what she needs.
That probably completes the list of players with a serious chance to win the title, but there are a host others who could pull off the odd upset here and there. By beating Dementieva in Madrid, Amelie Mauresmo showed that she can still contend with the best. A few confidence building wins in the early rounds, and she could put together an inspired run and finally do what she has never done at Roland Garros, just when it seems the least likely. Last year’s surprise Quarterfinalist Carla Suarez Navarro can only find her game at majors, but she has the potential to repeat. Last month’s official WTA flavor, Sabine Lisicki, has been hampered with injury and illness since her Charleston win, but she has the game to go far. I expect we also will see some veterans with kind draws, like Patty Schnyder, Li Na, or Anabel Medina Garrigues, put together a few wins.
This leaves Maria Sharapova. She’s back and she’s unseeded. She could surprise some people and make a deep run, and she’s a horrifying first round threat to any seed. The attention is elsewhere, and she may actually go pretty deep in this draw. But winning? Just wait until Wimbledon.
